


Ice Cold and Pitch Black

by hollowedyves



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Feelings, M/M, brief slash, unbetad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 09:48:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1424044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollowedyves/pseuds/hollowedyves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack takes Pitch up on his offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> Posted Dec. 4, 2012 on ff.net. Thought it was time to move it over here.

Jack scrunched his face in disgust and looked away away from the Dark One. Oh, how he wanted to believe him, those golden eyes looking so earnestly at him.

"We don't all have to be alone, Jack."

Jack turned away, clenching his hand around his staff.

"Fine." He heard Pitch's voice grow hard. "Then be. Alone." With a rush of cold wind, he had vanished.

...

Jack had been restless for days. He paced constantly around his room in the North Pole, and didn't want to go outside. The others, even Bunny, had asked him what was wrong or if he needed anything, but he always sent them away.

He didn't feel like he belonged here, but with Pitch? Pitch couldn't feel anything, and he only had one interest in mind. His own. Jack could not get Pitch out of his head. His Golden eyes, dancing with so many dreams even though he was the King of Nightmares; His soothing voice, the way it washed over him, like the way he imagined a lover's would.

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by a quick knock at the door.

"Come in!" he called and Tooth darted through. She gave him a warm smile.

"Hello, Jack. Feeling any better today?" Jack shook his head.

Tooth nodded. "That's okay. I just wanted to tell you that I need to pop back to my palace, we're having an awfully busy day and my little fairies need me. North is in his workshop and Bunny's off doing something. Sandy is also floating around somewhere."

Tooth paused and looked at him. "Will you be alright by yourself for a while?" Jack nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for telling me you were leaving." Tooth smiled sadly and flitted out the door.

Jack did not wait another moment. Grabbing ahold of his staff, he opened the nearest window and soared out.

He was simply following his instincts. Jack had no idea where Pitch's lair was located. When he stopped to catch this breath and look around and his surroundings, he heard something. He stood very still. After a few moments, it came again.

" _Jack..."_

His name. Whispered on the wind. Jack closed his eyes and let the word sing through his veins.

" _Jack..."_

Now he understood. Pitch knew he was coming. He was calling to him. It gave Jack shivers knowing he was already found out. Once again gripping his staff, he returned to the sky.

He had already been searching for a few hours, but nowhere seemed quite right. The only clue he had was that, sometimes, the whispered voice began to get louder. So he followed it. Suddenly, the feeling of swirling wind that had been accompanying him stopped. He touched down to the ground and listened. The voice was no longer there.

Jack frowned in confusion and looked around at his surroundings. He was in a clearing, and there was nothing here. Frustrated, he turned around to depart. Then he saw the bed - the broken bed frame with the tattered mattress. He took a few steps closer.

" _Jack!"_

The voice beside his ear made him jump. He looked around wildly; there was no one there. Without a second thought, he jumped gracefully onto a the bed. When nothing happened, he bounced gingerly on it. Jack shrugged.

Then, with a sucking noise, the bed had disappeared beneath him, and Jack felt himself falling - falling through the darkness. He desperately tried to grab onto something to stop his fall, but he just clutched empty air. Just as suddenly as the fall had begun, it stopped. He was being supported by some swirling black sand and was gently floating down to the floor. When Jack landed, he looked around to see where his staff had fallen.

 _"_ Looking for this?" Pitch was standing a few feet away, smirking, holding Jack's staff.

"Give it back," Jack said. Pitch chuckled.

"No, I don't think I will. It's no use trying to pretend like you were lured here and I'm just playing hostage. Besides, you and your...magic stick were bound to wind up here eventually. And you, like this thing here, will soon be mine."

Jack rolled his eyes, attempting to look disinterested. It didn't work.

Pitch turned his back on Jack and beckoned for him to follow. Jack walked warily behind him.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the sitting room, of course. You think just because I hide under people's beds that I have no sense of propriety?"

"Yes," Jack replied drily. Pitch shot him a look over his shoulder.

"...Well, you're wrong."

Jack snorted. Pitch led Jack into a small but classy room with some chairs and a crackling fireplace.

"Sit down. Make yourself at home, look around, or don't, I don't really care either way,"

Pitch said dismissively, slipping into another room.

Jack cautiously perched himself on an armchair, unsure where this meeting was going. Pitch swept back into the room with a cup of tea, which he set down before jack on the little table. Jack eyed it.

"I'm not trying to poison you," Pitch said.

"No...I know, I just...I'll turn it to ice. So...I can't really."

Pitch grinned, sitting down gracefully in the chair opposite from Jack. "I know. It was the thought that counted."

After a few tense moments, Pitch sighed.

"So, Jack, to what do I owe this sudden pleasure?"

"You know why I'm here."

"I do."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "You just want me to say it."

"Yes."

Jack took a deep breath. "I'm reconsidering your offer. No one else really gets me. Guardian life...is not for me. They want something I can't give. And..."

"...And?"

"...And I want to join you."

Pitch closed his eyes, savoring the moment. "Perfect," he said quietly.

Pitch stood up suddenly. "Would you like to be introduced to your new family?"

"I thought  _you_ were my family now," Jack said cheekily.

Then he looked startled - he hadn't meant to say that so soon. Pitch's eyes grew wide and he paused only for a second before turning towards the door and leading Jack into the main hall. Pitch raised two long fingers to his mouth and let loose a shrill whistle. Almost immediately, the menacing Nightmares began to pour out of the walls, come up through the floor and almost seemed to materialize out of thin air.

After a few seconds there were nearly 40 surrounding him. Pitch stroked the flank of the nearest Nightmare and it nuzzled against him.

"We are your family now, Jack. We may not be the most...well-thought of or cheerful...but we will-" Pitch stopped a moment and put a surprisingly warm hand on Jack's shoulder "- I will always make you feel wanted."

Jack blinked a few times. Then he blinked a few times more. Behind his eyes was a prickling, burning sensation. Suddenly, pushing all other thoughts aside, he stumbled forward and wrapped his arms around Pitch. Jack hadn't cried in a long time, and he wasn't sure if he really could, but he sniffled against Pitch's stiff form. "That's all I ever wanted," Jack muttered. "Three hundred and eighteen years and I didn't know that's all I really wanted." He looked up at Pitch a smiled a bit.

Pitch looked utterly bewildered at what was happening. Jack noticed and quickly stepped away. "Sorry," Jack said, wiping his nose.

"That's...ah, that's quite all right," Pitch said, running two hands down his front, attempting to straighten his cloak.

Jack cleared his throat uncomfortably then asked, "So, do I get to sleep somewhere?...or..."

"No! Of course," Pitch replied hurriedly. "But, you see, no one has been down here besides me for..over a thousand years and since I am so weak, the rooms are not as beautiful as they once were." Jack nodded.

Pitch walked off into the darkness, and Jack followed. He felt so sorry for the Boogeyman, and felt like he had made the right decision in joining him. Pitch had been alone - alone, for years, in this huge empty cave, in silence. He was the opposite face of the same coin the Guardians were on, but he was condemned to the shadows for eternity. Jack followed Pitch through dark hallways until they reached a large ornate

wooden door.

Pitch placed a hand against the door and pushed forcefully. The door swung open to reveal a mostly bare room with a few pieces of furniture covered by sheets.

"I'm sorry there can't be a window for you...but...as we are underground..." Pitch shrugged.

"No, it's..."

Jack felt strangely attracted to the musty old room. It felt like a room full of past secrets waiting to be discovered. "It's perfect."

"Good." Pitch gave a small smile. "The only thing you brought is in its proper place." Jack looked next to the cold fire grate to see his staff. Jack went over and retrieved it, weighing it in his hand.

"Why did you take it if you were going to give it back?"

Pitch gave a small smile. "More incentive for you to stay. I'll...let you..make yourself at home."

Pitch went silently out, closing the door behind him. Walking back through the dim corridors, he looked down at his cloak where Jack's almost-tear stains had not quite dried yet. He ran his fingers over them for a moment before scoffing.

_Sentiment._


	2. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack makes himself at home.

Jack walked slowly around the room, taking in its vastness - and its silence. It was unsurprising that these rooms were not used anymore; without life, it was like living in a tomb. Jack took a few more steps then whirled around and threw off one of the sheets covering something. He thought it would be something creepy but instead it was just a dresser.

With not as much bravado, Jack removed the other sheets revealing a chair, a chest, a small sculpture of a horse, and a bed barely big enough to fit him. This room needed something...Jack's personal touch. Jack pressed a hand to the wall and a beautiful pattern of ice crystals formed, crackling and spreading over the ceiling and walls.

Jack then turned to the bed frame and let icicles form on it, turning the whole bed (minus the sheets) into a throne of ice. This room was definitely his now. Finished with that, he turned to the chest pushed up to the wall. He sunk down to the floor and fiddled with the latch. Then with more force, he attempted to wrench it open. Then he stood up and kicked it. The lock did not budge; it had been rusted over with age and now even more so with Jack's ice. His curiosity was beginning to get the best of him. If this was his room now, he had the right to know what was in there. He looked at it and sighed.

He glanced at the bed and then climbed up onto it, curling himself into a little ball. He lived here now. Jack was tired but so much had happened in so little time. He couldn't possibly sleep now...He couldn't possibly...

...

"Jack?"

Jack's eyes snapped open.

"Jack!"

He sat up and looked around wildly. There was no one in his room, and it was not the voice that had called to him before.

"Jack! Where are you?"

"Jack!"

Two different voices. Coming from above him.

The Guardians had noticed his absence.

"Oh no," Jack whispered, jumping out of bed and running to the door, then pushing it open. He ran down a corridor and found himself in the main room. He glanced about frantically. He knew how to get in here, but he didn't know how to get out.

"What is it?" Pitch's voice suddenly echoed around him.

Jack spun in a circle but he did not see the Boogeyman.

"I, uh, need to find the exit."

"Why?"

"Because they're looking for me."

There was a moment of silence. Then Pitch's voice came again.

"There's a tunnel to your left. Keep going until it leads you out."

"But what if I get lost?" Jack shouted at the empty room.

"You won't. There's only one way you can go."

"Thanks," Jack said before darting left into the shadows.

"Wait!" Pitch called.

Jack stopped. "What?"

"Your staff. It will look suspicious if you don't have it."

"I don't have time, they might come down here!" Without waiting for him to reply, Jack took off. Within a few minutes, the tunnel began to get lighter before Jack saw the pale blue of the morning sky. When he reached the outside, he took a deep breath of chilly air - he hadn't realized he'd missed it so much. He would have to come out here often.

The Guardians were nowhere in sight. But he knew they had just been here. He needed to find them.

"Guys!" he yelled. He ran a few feet, then yelled again "Hey! I'm here!"

Suddenly, Baby Tooth seemed to appear in front of him.

"Hi!" Jack exclaimed.

Baby Tooth twittered something and buzzed off just as quickly as she had appeared. Jack furrowed his brow in confusion, but after a few seconds he saw a brightly colored object appear between the trees. It flew towards him until he could make out the face of Tooth. He saw a large grey shape bounding towards him as well. Tooth reached Jack first, but Bunny was not far behind.

"Jack!" Tooth exclaimed. She looked worried. "Where on Earth have you been? We've all been so worried-"

"-I haven't been that worried," Bunny interjected.

Jack made a face at him. "Well, now you found me, so you on't have to worry anymore."

"I'm glad you're okay, but it was very irresponsible of you to run off like that!" Tooth scolded. Then she blinked. "...Where's your staff?"

"Uh..." Jack cast his eyes around, trying to avoid Tooth and Bunny's suspicious looks. "I just put it somewhere for safe keeping. But who cares? I'm a big boy, and I think I can take care of myself."

"Yes, I know you can," said Tooth slowly, "But we do need you in the North Pole, you can't run off whenever you-"

"-I'm not going back with you."

Tooth looked shocked.

"What?" said Bunny flatly.

"I've found somewhere better."

"What do you mean, somewhere 'better'?" Tooth demanded.

Jack paused a moment. "I'm staying-"

"-With me," Pitch finished, as whirls of black sand coagulated in the air to create his dark form. He placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. Tooth gasped and Bunny took hold of his Boomerang.

"What?" Tooth whispered, clearly hurt.

"He's made a brilliant choice to join me. It's not like the Guardians have ever taken well to newcomers," Pitch sneered. "He'll be with someone who truly understands what it's like to not be believed in, someone who isn't as popular as the four of you. And besides-" Pitch leaned down and said quietly in Jack's ear "-What goes better than Ice Cold and Pitch Black?"

Jack suppressed an involuntary shiver and felt his stomach flip, but he tried to keep his face straight.

Tooth looked like she was about to cry, but Bunny just narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. Come on, Tooth."

The Tooth Fairy took a tearful look at Jack before turning away and flying after Bunny.

"They won't look for you anymore," said Pitch, turning on his heel and beginning to walk back towards the entrance to the cave.

"Yeah," Jack said quietly.

Pitch turned and looked at him. "You're having second thoughts."

"No! No." Jack paused. "She just looked so sad..."

Pitch snorted. "Yes. Well, you'll have to get used to that. But what does it really matter? You never owed them anything. But you and I can be great!' Pitch seized Jack's shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. "Won't we, Jack."

"Ice Cold and Pitch Black," Jack breathed.

Pitch gave a slow smile. "Now you've got it."

...

Later that evening, Jack found himself wandering the halls connected to the great main room, straying as far into the shadows as he dared. He was no longer afraid of what might be lurking there, but his eyes had still not quite gotten adjusted to the perpetual gloom. Jack walked slowly, his arms outstretched to avoid bumping into anything. His hands touched something hard, and feeling around the edges more he believed he had found another door.

He ran his hands over the surface attempting to find a lock or a way to open the door. He found nothing and sighed. Then, remembering what Pitch had done to open the doors to his room, he placed both of his hands flat on the door and pushed with all his might. The door creaked open slowly, and Jack entered the room slowly. It wasn't until he walked a few steps that he looked up and gaped.

The ceiling was extremely high, so high he wasn't sure he could see where it ended. The room was huge, and empty, just as the other rooms he had found had been. Except for the books. Turning in a circle, Jack tried to discern how many books were housed inside this room that had surely once been magnificent. The shelves seemed to be miles high and were packed with every size and shape of books. Clambering onto a tall rusty ladder near him, Jack began to read the titles.

Some were in a language he could not understand. Some had no title at all and were simply bound in leather. Some were incrusted with jewels and seemed thousands of years old. Some had generic titles - Psychology, Mathematics, Herpetology, Music Throughout The Ages. Jack slid the ladder carefully along, grasping the sides of the shelves to help him propel himself. He then began seeing titles that were more familiar to his eyes - Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Oliver Twist, Huckleberry Finn. Going along a few more shelves, he noticed something. The books were now children's books, small and tattered. They seemed to have been ready many times. Sensing that this was a section he maybe should not be in, Jack climbed quickly down from the ladder.

He then noticed a single chair, placed on one of the far ends of the room. There was a small pile of books next to it. He leaned down to see what they were, but then he felt a nudge at his back. Jack whirled around and found himself face to face with a Nightmare. It whinnied at him and bumped its head against Jack's chest. "H-Hi there, little one," Jack said, petting its head tentatively. "Where is the rest of your...herd?" The Nightmare snorted and tossed its head. "Its nice that you came to see me," said Jack, beginning to warm up to the animal. "This room is so lonely, its nice to have some company." He continued to pet the mane of the horse. "Did Pitch name you? Probably not. Shame, you're such a beauty." He smiled at the Nightmare. "I'll call you...Midnight. A bit cliché, but I think it fits. Don't you?"

"I do."

Jack looked to see Pitch walking toward him and Midnight.

"Oh, shit...Oh, crap, Pitch, I know I'm not supposed to be in here..."

Pitch held up a hand. "No, it's alright. I said you could look around and make yourself at home, didn't I?"

"Yes but this place seems a bit personal..."

"It is."

Jack blinked. "Also, this lovely one found me here..."

Pitch smiled and rubbed a hand across Midnight. "She is beautiful. And she seems to have taken a liking to you." Jack smiled at the Nightmare. Then he looked up at Pitch. "Tell me about this room?"

Pitch shook his head. "Not now. Another time, perhaps." Pitch hooked a finger under Jack's chin and tilted it upwards. "You've had a long day. Get some rest."

Jack nodded, once again transfixed by those dancing golden eyes.


	3. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jack communicates with his horse and makes out with the King of Nightmares.

Jack awoke later that night and looked around his darkened room. The ice crystals that he had placed there glittered in the dim light. He slowly climbed out of bed and opened his door as quietly as possible. He crept outside into the hall. Making his way silently down the corridor, he noticed a light up ahead of him. He continued walking until he got to the sitting room Pitch had taken him into only a few days ago. He heard the crackling fireplace inside the room, and began to lean forward slowly around the doorframe to see if Pitch was inside.

"Come in," Pitch said. Jack jumped, and Pitch chuckled.

"Honestly, Jack, you think you can hide from me in my own home? You don't need to sneak around all the time, you live here as well."

Jack entered the room to find Pitch seated in an armchair, his legs crossed elegantly, reading a book. When Jack walked in, Pitch looked up and put the book aside.

"Couldn't sleep, I take it."

Jack shook his head and threw himself down into the armchair opposite Pitch. Jack eyed the book. "Do you read a lot?"

"Yes. There isn't much to do, if you haven't noticed."

"Don't you...plot the Guardian's demise or...world domination or something?"

"Not all the time. There are slow days." Pitch grinned. "I apologize if you thought this would be exciting. That part comes later."

"Later?"

Pitch nodded. "The Guardians will not come looking for you again. They'll come looking for us. And they will attack. Soon. And we must be ready for them." Pitch leaned forward out of his seat. "Will you be ready?"

"I...I don't know."

"Jack!" Pitch exclaimed angrily, rising to his feet.

Jack blinked in surprise.

"Do you not know the immense power you possess? You could bring the world to its knees if you wanted to. And with our power combined, we could create a kingdom that was impenetrable! Don't you want that?"

"To be believed in," Jack said, letting his voice rise in excitement. He stood up to face Pitch.

"Oh no, Jack. Not only to be believed in, worshipped! Everyone will know of us-"

"-And the Guardians will be the ones cowering in the shadows!" Jack yelled, his eyes growing dark.

"And we will Never. Be. Forgotten."

Jack threw his head back and laughed. What left his mouth was a wicked cackle.

Then suddenly, roughly, and deliciously, Pitch pulled Jack to him and kissed him.

Jack had never felt warm. And now he was. No, he was more than warm, he was burning; He was melting and he felt like someone had set him on fire. Jack shuddered and gasped and Pitch took that opportunity to nip at Jack's bottom lip and snake his tongue into the smaller man's mouth. Jack fisted his hands in the material of Pitch's cloak. After a few seconds of being locked desperately together, Pitch broke free and stared at Jack. Both men were panting, and Jack looked ravenous.

"Why did you stop?" Jack asked breathlessly.

"It's no good getting carried away so soon," Pitch answered, stoking a finger down Jack's face. That finger continued down, tracing Jack's jawline and ghosting over his throat to stop a the top of his hoodie. "If you're going to fight by my side, you'll need something more fitting," Pitch said quietly, tugging at the material. "Something fit for a king." In one smooth moment, Pitch slipped beside Jack, kissed him quickly on the cheek and then disappeared into the darkness outside of the room.

...

Standing bewildered and slightly uncomfortable for a few minutes, Jack then decided to go back to his room, although he knew he couldn't sleep. He couldn't think, either. All he could do was try and recall the feeling of being warm. Cold is all he had ever known, and now that he had had a taste of that searing heat, he wanted it again. He wanted to feel. _"He started it...then he told me to not get carried away...Jerk..."_  Jack grumbled to himself walking back to his room. And what was wrong with these clothes? He liked them. They were comfy.

Adjusting himself as well as he could, Jack left the sitting room and walked back down the hall to his room. Right before he opened his door, he felt a push at his back.

"Hi, Midnight," Jack said, without turning around.

Midnight snorted in reply.

"Come on in, I need someone to talk to anyway." Jack opened the door wide enough for the Nightmare to go through. When she was all the way in Jack's room, all he could see were her luminescent yellow eyes. Jack climbed up on his bed and crossed his legs, and Midnight followed him to the edge. Jack got face to face with the horse. Then quickly he blew some cold air into her face. The horse tossed her head and blinked, trying to shake the strange sensation.

Jack he looked at her seriously. "Sorry. I needed to break the tension."

Midnight nodded.

"Midnight, I want to ask you a serious question."

Midnight blinked expectantly at Jack.

"Do you like Pitch?"

Midnight cocked her head to the side.

"I know he's your master, but do you actually like him?"

Midnight's head cocked to the other side.

"Because I didn't know it was actually possible to have feelings like this for a man I've just met...who is...supposed to be the Boogeyman."

Midnight grunted and scraped one of her front hooves against the floor, leaving a mark.

"...Well its very sweet of you to say that you like me just as much as you like him,"

Jack said, smiling. He reached up and stroked a hand down the horse's face.

She nuzzled against his hand and whinnied softly.

"I'm not going to leave," Jack replied softly. "No, he doesn't scare me that much. Actually, he doesn't scare me at all. But he's so...mysterious. He's there, and then he's not. What is he really like? I have no idea, but I want to stay with him."

Midnight licked Jack's hand and made a low whistling sound.

"How long has he been alone?"

Midnight did nothing. Jack waited. Midnight still did not move.

"That long, huh?"

Midnight nodded slowly.

"So long that you don't even remember...wow. I'm...kind of the same, I guess."

Midnight nodded again, closing her eyes. She then turned slowly and began to walk back to the door. Jack got up to open the door for her. Midnight began to leave.

"Wait!" Jack said suddenly, and the Nightmare stopped and swung her head around to look at him.

"Why does Pitch need me like this? Why does he string me along and then just cut me off?" Midnight nudged Jack's chest and he looked down and understood: Heart. Pitch's heart. Pitch's heart had been misguided for so many years, he didn't know what he wanted. But the one thing he did want, was Jack.

So Jack stayed.


	4. Fight

It was at least his fourth night underground and Jack could not get used to the absolute silence of this lair. He was used to noise, to crickets chirping and clocks ticking and the wind whistling through the air. Jack stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. Suddenly, he heard a noise. He sat straight up in bed and looked around, still not being able to see anything through the gloom. He listened again, and his door creaked open. Jack laid back down and closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Jack couldn't see, but he knew the door was open because there was light against his eyelids.

He strained to listen but heard nothing - Wait! He thought he heard footsteps. Was that the brush of cloth against the floor? Jack opened his eyes until he could see through a slit. He watched Pitch placed a small, neatly-folded bundle of black cloth on the floor next to Jack's bed. Pitch then turned and looked right at him. Jack gasped quietly and quickly closed his eyes. Had he been caught? He wasn't sure. He wasn't going to risk opening his eyes again. Jack waited a few seconds and listened, struggling to keep his breathing even. He was about to relax when he felt a hand on his forehead, pushing his hair back. Without meaning to, Jack tensed at the unexpected contact.

"Stop faking," Pitch whispered in Jack's ear.

Jack opened his eyes and looked at Pitch.

"You know, it was quite good. I was fooled for a few seconds," Pitch said appreciatively.

Jack smiled. "Thanks. I've had practice." Then he looked over at the bundle on the floor. "What is that?"

"Your battle uniform."

Jack looked up, surprised. "So soon?"

"Well they're not difficult to make and I've had a lot of time to learn how to do it quickly-"

"No, no, no, I meant I need to have them so soon?" Jack gave Pitch a mischievous smile. "You know how to sew?"

Pitch straightened his cloak uncomfortably and glanced around the room quickly. "...Please do not tell anyone that."

"Or what?" Jack said, standing up on the bed and getting in Pitch's face. "What if I told everyone that the big, bad, Boogeyman spends his time sewing in his evil lair?"

Pitch gaped. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" Jack said, winking.

"You  _are_  bad, Jack Frost."

"Punish me?"

Their faces were inches away from each other. Jack flicked his tongue out and licked Pitch's bottom lip, and Pitch recoiled in shock.

Then Jack frowned. "You keep doing that. Egging me on and then turning away. Why? Don't you want me?"

"Yes, of course I do, you have no idea how much I do...It just...frightens me."

Jack blinked in surprise. "Frightens you?"

"I have not gotten attached to someone in so long, I don't really know how to control myself. Everything both attracts and repulses me."

"Can I...try and fix that?"

Pitch smiled. "If you'd like." Then he sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier. I promise, soon, I will make it up to you."

Jack nodded and then said, "I'll hold you to it."

The side of Pitch's mouth quirked up for a second. Then he turned and looked at the bundle on the floor. "You'll need to put them on. We're meeting the Guardians at dawn."

"Right now?" Jack grumbled, slumping down on the bed.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "It's not like you were sleeping in the first place."

"Ever thought maybe I wanted to?" Jack padded over to the bundle and picked it up. It felt very light.

Pitch shook his head. "Just put them on."

Jack seized the hem of his hoodie and pulled it up over his head, leaving his torso bare. "Are you going to watch-" Jack began, but when he turned around, Pitch was gone. Jack sighed. "Again?"

"Jack, please. I'm not a perverted, sex-starved animal. I don't need to see you get undressed," Pitch's voice echoed from the shadows all around Jack.

Then the Boogeyman materialized on Jack's bed. "But if you insist, I won't refuse."

Jack smirked and pulled his trousers off and stepped out of them, leaving him in boxer shorts.

Pitch raised an eyebrow.

"Calm down over there, I can hear your thoughts," Jack said jokingly, pulling the black shirt, trousers, and cloak on.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Pitch drawled.

Jack finished dressing and turned to face Pitch. He gestured at himself.

Pitch stood up. "You look magnificent."

Jack ran a hand through his hair dramatically. "Why thank you," he said sarcastically.

"Honestly," Pitch said quietly.

Jack locked eyes with him. "Thanks."

Pitch jerked his head towards the door. "We might as well go. Ready?"

Jack grabbed his staff and grinned at Pitch. "Ready."

...

"Do you know where we're going?" Jack asked after a little while. He wasn't sure how long they had been walking. It felt like hours.

"Not offhand," Pitch replied. "It wasn't like I arranged to have a standoff with them. I just know that they're coming to find us, to try and take you back by force."

Jack scowled. "I won't let that happen."

" _I_  won't let that happen," Pitch echoed, then stopped for a moment and stared down at Jack. "Your eyes."

"What? Jack asked.

"Your eyes are darker."

Jack started to reply, but Pitch quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"They're here."

At that moment, a yellow strand of light whipped past Jack's head, taking off a few strands of white hair. Jack and Pitch fell to the ground.

"Stop, Stop!" someone yelled.

When Jack looked up, they were all there looking down at them. Tooth flying nervously above, Bunny scowling, North brandishing his two cutlasses, and the Sandman, those two deadly golden whips stemming from his hands.

Tooth was the first to speak. "Jack, please come back with us. Look what Pitch has done to you! You told us you didn't think Guardian life was for you, but certainly you don't want this! You don't want everyone to be afraid of you! Jack..."

"Shut up!" Jack shouted and sent a bolt of ice at Tooth's head. She shrieked and dodged away just before it hit her. "I've made my decision!"

"Fine. If you are now...Prince of Nightmares, you are now our enemy," North said gruffly. Jack took a fighting stance and Pitch raised his arms like an archer about to fire an arrow from a bow.

"Then bring it on, old man," Jack taunted.

Bunny was the first to strike, leaping forward and cracking Jack across the face with his boomerrang. Jack almost passed out then as his vision blurred, but with a quick shake of his head, he had cleared his vision. Jack shoved his staff into Bunny's stomach and threw him off, then fired a volley of icicles at him. Most of them missed, but one caught in the back of Bunny's heel and he fell to the ground with a yell. Jack turned and leaped out of the way before one of North's swords took his head off. Jack threw up his staff to protect himself and pushed the heels of his feet into the ground to steady himself.

North and Jack strained against each other until Jack heard a cracking noise - his staff was giving out. Gripping his staff with two hands, Jack swung himself around and tried to take out North's kneecaps, but North knocked the staff over. Jack fell to the ground hard and rolled over quickly, not taking his eyes off the huge Russian but feeling around for his staff. It was nowhere around him - to Jack's dismay, North had kicked it a few yards away.

"Pitch!" Jack called, suddenly terrified, nose-to-nose with a gleaming sword.

"A bit busy!" Pitch yelled back. Pitch was once again fighting with Sandy, scythe against whip, both jumping out of the way at the last second before any damage could be done.

"I am sorry, Jack," North said, raising one of his swords. Jack covered his face and squeezed his eyes shut. Nothing happened. Instead, Jack heard a loud whinny. Jack looked up in wonder to see Midnight. Standing on her back legs, had thrown North against a tree and had almost knocked him out. "Midnight!" Jack yelled happily. Midnight fell back down to all fours and snorted, nodding. Jack scrambled up and ran to grab his staff. He looked around - Bunny as huddled on the ground trying to pry the icicle wedged deeply in his heel out, and North was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Tooth was nowhere to be found. Jack jumped into Midnight's back and kicked her sides. "Go!" Midnight ran forward, and at the precise moment he got close enough, he grabbed the dueling Pitch by the back of his cloak and hauled him up onto the horse. Jack looked behind him to see another long tendril of light coming after them. He pulled Midnight's reins and she swerved to the left, then to the right. Sandy's whip fell short by a few inches as Jack and Pitch continued to retreat into the forest.

Jack looked back at Pitch and grinned. Pitch grinned back. Then Jack's vision started to blur. He touched the side of his head with one hand and it came away sticky with blood. Pitch stopped grinning. "Jack?"

Jack slumped forward onto Midnight and watched the trees whiz by before his vision went dark.

 


	5. Kozmotis Pitchiner

The first thing that Jack became aware of was that it wasn't dark in this room. It was golden against his eyelids, and he was laying on something much softer. He tried to open his eyes, he tried to say, "Where am I?" but all that came out was a muffled groan.

"Jack..."

Jack turned his head towards the noise, but still could not open his eyes. His eyes felt clouded with sand. He almost laughed - Had Sandy done this? Then a shadow passed over his eyes and he felt a cold cloth touch his forehead. Jack groaned. "Hush," the voice said, and a hand touched the side of his face, keeping his head in place without being rough.

Jack managed to open his eyes a crack to see those same gold eyes looking down at him. "Pitch?" Jack asked, his voice rusty from disuse.

Pitch smiled. A real, genuine smile. "Hello. Nice of you to join us."

"Us?" Jack asked, trying to sit up. Pitch gestured behind him to the doorframe where Midnight stood, her eyes closed.

Jack pressed a hand to his throbbing head and felt bandages. Then he looked at Pitch in surprise. "Have you been taking care of me?"

Pitch did not say anything.

Jack smirked. "You have. Since when were so you caring?"

"Since you agreed to live with me," Pitch answered.

Jack swung himself out of bed. "How long have I been out?"

Pitch shrugged. "I've no idea."

Jack walked over to Pitch and squinted his eyes. "You look awful."

Pitch made a face. "Thank you."

But Pitch did look terrible - his eyes were sunken and his hair wasn't as shiny as it had been. He wasn't even wearing his cloak - just black trousers and a black shirt.

"You haven't been eating," said Jack finally. "It's been days. All you've been doing is taking care of me. I'm right, aren't I?"

"...Yes."

Jack then became aware of his surroundings. The room he was in was magnificent - the walls were gold, and there was a huge fireplace in front of the equally huge bed he had been occupying until a few seconds ago. There were pictures on the walls and comfy chairs.

"This is your room, then."

Pitch nodded.

"Well, it is definitely fit for a king."

Unconsciously, Pitch straightened his spine at those words, then he cleared his throat.

"I think you should sit down, you aren't that strong yet."

Jack grumbled but sat down in one of the chairs. Pitch sat down in the other.

"Why don't you tell me about that room now?" Jack asked casually, playing with the hem of his shirt.

Pitch was caught off guard. "Why now?" He looked frightened.

"Because I've nothing else to do. I bet you hoped I'd forgotten."

"Yes, I had hoped..."

"Well you were  _wrong_!" Jack gave a small laugh. "Nice try. So tell me. I'm in the mood for story time."

Pitch looked at him seriously. "This isn't a happy story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes," Jack said immediately.

Pitch sighed and rubbed his temple. Then he began:

"It has been a long time, and I don't remember all the details. I, too, was a Guardian once - a Guardian of all the horrors in the world. The Man in the Moon gave me this job...because no one else wanted to do it. I didn't mind. Nothing ever got out. They were locked in a prison, and I stood guard almost constantly. It was a difficult job - they were persuasive, and the Fearlings whispered to you - they bribed you, they knew your most intimate wants and desires, and they could twist your mind to try and get you to free them. But I resisted. There wasn't much I cared for, but I had...a daughter. She was my world, and I loved her more than life itself. I used to read to her all the time, and those books that are in the library were her favorites. I don't know how I know that. I just do.

One day, while guarding my horrors, I heard her voice in one of the cells. I recognized it immediately. I don't remember what she said, but the voice was begging,  _pleading_  for me to let her out, because she was terrified. I knew it was the Fearlings, but they had targeted the one thing they knew I could not refuse. I...was not strong enough. I opened the cage, and the horrors were free. They were on me, then in me, and now..." Pitch shrugged. "This is who I am. Hiding in the shadows, like I did before. The Man in the Moon once again gave me the job no one else wanted. And I was glad to do it."

"What was your daughter's name?" Jack asked, his voice cracking.

Pitch sighed and thought for a moment. Then he looked at Jack, his eyes clouded with pain. "I can't remember."

If there was any doubt before, there wasn't now. Jack was sobbing - the tears burned as they left his eyes and then froze on his cheeks.

"Oh, no, Jack..." Pitch immediately jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around him. "It is the past. And all that matters is that you don't dwell on it."

"You've been so alone," Jack whimpered, clutching to Pitch's shirt.

"Yes," Pitch agreed. "But that is my curse."

After a few deep breaths, Jack calmed himself. "Did you have a name?"

"Kozmotis Pitchiner. General Kozmotis Pitchiner."

"Can I call you that?"

Pitch shook his head. "Kozmotis is who I was. Pitch is who I am."

"Thank you for telling me," Jack said at last.

"Of course."

The two were still wedged in the chair Jack had been in. Pitch stood up finally and held out a hand to help Jack up.

"Are you going to leave?" Jack asked, not taking Pitch's hand.

"...I was going to let you sleep."

"Why?"

"You might be tired."

"I'm not."

"Good," Pitch said, a smile pulling at one corner of his mouth.

"Can we do something else?" Jack asked, standing up and walking to the bed.

"Jack, are you sure?" Pitch asked worriedly, walking over and standing in front of him. "You've just woken up and I've shocked you and maybe it's best if we just-"

"Shut up," Jack whispered, throwing his arms around Pitch's neck and standing on the tips of his toes to kiss the taller man.

Pitch wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, putting his weight on him and letting the two of them fall back onto the bed. Without being asked, Jack pulled his shirt off, wincing a bit as he did so. Pitch licked his lips and dipped his head down to kiss where porcelain neck met shoulder, then gently sank his pointed teeth in and sucking, leaving a red mark. Jack groaned and twined his hands in Pitch's hair, pulling back forcefully. Pitch hissed, raking nails down Jack's front. Jack cried out, squirming.

Suddenly there was a annoyed noise and Pitch and Jack looked up to see Midnight had woken up and was glaring at them. They had both completely forgotten she was there.

"Sorry, Midnight," Jack said. With a flick of her tail, Midnight left, turning her head and glaring at Jack once more.

He laughed, then looked back at Pitch. Jack gulped - Pitch's pupils had dilated. He looked like an animal. "Are you...alright?" Jack asked, smiling. "Don't start that," Pitch rasped, attaching his lips to Jack's neck again. Pitch's hand traveled down, down, down and played with the top of Jack's trousers before slipping his hand down the front, palming Jack's increasingly-obvious hard on.

"This is all I have ever wanted...and now that we're here, I am going to take what I want," Pitch growled.

"Mm, only if I let you," Jack replied, clawing lines into Pitch's back.

But Pitch was the one in control, and after a few minutes of being naked and tangled together, Jack gave up trying to have the upper hand. Forget even trying to make snide comments - Jack could not remember what words were. He only felt the warmth of Pitch's body on his, sweat sliding between gray and white skin as Pitch's hands were everywhere on him. And the only word Jack new was his lover's name, moaning it over and over as they rubbed savagely against each other, Pitch biting his throat raw and whispering the filthiest things in Jack's ear. Jack could not remember the last time he had been touched like this, if ever.

Pitch stopped for a moment and Jack groaned at the loss of friction. Then, grasping both of their throbbing erections in his long-fingered hand, Pitch began to stroke them both at an agonizingly slow pace. "Piiitch..." Jack moaned loudly, digging his nails into slim gray shoulders so hard that he almost punctured skin. "Go faster, please," Jack begged, thrusting his hips forward.

"No," Pitch replied, but his voice wavered. This was torture, the feeling of such sensitive skin on skin. Jack started panting, and he wrapped his legs around Pitch's waist to drive them closer together.

"I-" Jack began brokenly, but Pitch shook his head. The hand sped up, and Jack's breath caught in his throat. Pitch was the one to cry out Jack's name as his seed spilled first over the both of their stomachs, and then Jack followed shortly after.

Pitch rolled over off Jack onto his back, then turned his head to look at him.

"Satisfied?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Very," Pitch answered, leaning forward a bit to lick Jack's bottom lip.

"Can I sleep here?" Jack asked, moving closer to Pitch.

"Why not, I might need you for something later," Pitch mumbled, beginning to close his eyes.

Jack looked hurt. "Like what?"

"What if I have a nightmare?" Pitch said, draping a arm behind Jack's shoulders and pulling him against his chest.

Jack snorted. "Nice save."

Pitch smiled, his eyes still closed. "I try."

Jack looked over Pitch's shoulder to the fireplace. "Maybe...later, I'd like to be in one of those comfy chairs to comfort you if you have a nightmare."

"They are comfy chairs..." Pitch muttered, already half asleep.

Jack snickered.  _I made him say comfy chairs,_ he thought to himself.

Snuggling against Pitch's form, Jack sighed contentedly and traced little snowflake patterns into Pitch's chest.

 


End file.
